Ardie Savea has been suspended for a week after a threatening gesture

Super Rugby announced on Tuesday that Ardi Savea has been suspended for a week. New Zealand’s third line mimicked blade cutting his own neck with his hand after receiving a yellow card during a match with Wellington Hurricanes.

Ardie Savea was suspended for a week by the Super Rugby Disciplinary Committee on Tuesday after making a threatening gesture towards a Melbourne Rebels player during a match with the New Zealand Hurricanes. The 29-year-old third-line player received a yellow card before imitating his hand with a blade that slashed his throat, a gesture that can be found in one of the famous All Blacks haka.

Savea later apologized, saying that as a role model for the youngest, he regretted this gesture that overshadowed his team’s victory (39-33). The Disciplinary Committee indicated that it had issued a warning to Savea for “unsportsmanlike play”, having decided that his conduct did not deserve a red card. However, she explained, the combination of a yellow card and a warning amounted to a “Continuous insult.” Savea, who has played 70 games for the All Blacks, including four as captain, admitted after the game against the Hurricanes that he had lost control and said his father had severely scolded him.

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